This invention provides a device for use on a side-loading garbage truck, for hooking, lifting and unloadig a dustbin, by means of a pivotable, compass type arm which is capable of extending to a position close to the dustbin pins, for hooking, lifting and maintaining the dustbin in a substantially vertical position and to cause it to tip after the dustbin has passed the threshold of the truck body loading opening.
Due to the peculiar features of kinematic motion used, all of the above movements can be carried out in a restrained space, to thereby permit the motor vehicle to further approach a dustbin during operation, and also, due to restricted strokes of actuators, to minimize the maneuvering time.
Furthermore, devices are provided by means of which the arms for gripping a dustbin are capable of self-centering in relation to the loading opening, so as to facilitate maneuvering by the operator, who has, thus, greater tolerance availability for hooking, while due to said self-centering capability of the dustbin with respect to a loading opening, this loading opening may be restrained in width.
In order to perform dumping of a dustbin, a garbage truck is generally used which has a refuse collection body and is provided with plungers designed for hooking a dustbin resting sidewise on the road, and for lifting and tipping the dustbin to drop refuse down into the truck body.
These motor vehicles have gripping means in the form of a telescopic arm capable of hooking a dustbin, and plungers that are capable of lifting the dustbin and causing it to tip for discharging.
Many types of kinematic motions have been designed for this purpose. By using these motions, the dustbin gripping means are caused to translate in two orthogonal directions or to perform a toro-translational motion to move the dustbin up to above the refuse collection body of vehicle.
A device for gripping, lifting and rotating a dustbin is known from Italian Patent Application N. MI92A 001906, which comprises dustbin gripping arms, dustbin lifting plungers and rotating means which are associated with a slide, the slide being movable towards and away from the dustbin and being mounted inboard the truck, said gripping means being a pair of pivoting arms hinged to the slide and carrying at their opposed ends a tubular element being rotatable about its own axis, having arms attached thereto for hooking the dustbin.
However, this solution is rather intricate and, thus, expensive to construct, and, furthermore, it requires that arms of considerable length are used in order that a desired height is reached and a restricted inclination of the dustbin is achieved.
Finally, said long arms require the truck to maintain a considerable distance to the dustbin during hooking operation.